In Smaller Proportions
by Zeff N Company
Summary: Tohru discovers that Kyo is missing, and Yuki finds (or is found by) a small toddler with orange hair, crimson eyes and a purple-and-white bead bracelet. What has happened to the cat of the fruit basket? No specific pairings.[COMPLETED]
1. Honey, I Shrunk The Cat

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**Wow. Hi there, folks. I never figured myself to do this, but it has been plaguing me since I viewed a bit of Fruit Basket with English subtitles. So right now, I'll have you know that I have zero experience in this line of work, so spare me if you find OOC characters.**_

_**Well, anyway, here it is at the special request from Howling WereWolf, my beta-reader for anything and everything I've ever tried composing.**_

_**Let's get on with the story now, shall we?**_

_**PJ**_

/-----------------------------------/

Kyo felt guilty.

Even though he had left a message stuck on the refrigerator door, he still felt guilty.

If he was going to leave, he couldn't just up and go like he used to. Feelings had nurtured, and he had to at least tell them in person.

But then, he would have to wait for them to return, and time was one thing he did not have.

Checking that he had everything for the final time, Kyo slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed out the door.

_Guess I'll be gone for quite a while... Sorry, Tohru..._

/-----------------------------------/

It was finally time.

He had been waiting for so very long, and now the moment had come.

Now that the Sohma cat was finally leaving the house, his chance had arrived.

Hidden carefully in the forested area, he watched the teen slide the door shut... walk down the porch... walk in his general direction...

He smirked.

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.

Time to make someone scream.

/-----------------------------------/

Some time later in the day, the door slid open once again to hail the arrival of two more residents.

"Kyo-kun! We're back!" Honda Tohru called out, removing her shoes and stepping into the house. After receiving that phone call from Hatori, Kyo had commented about not feeling well and hurried home first. Passing the kitchen, she went upstairs to see if she could catch him and verify if he was alright. It was nowhere near mealtime, anyway.

Approaching his room, she tapped on the door. "Kyo-kun? I'm coming in, alright?"

When there was no answer, she carefully slid the door open, in case the boy was asleep. Looking in, she saw everything laid out the way it usually was for Kyo.

But the owner himself was not there.

/-----------------------------------/

Instead of going inside, Yuki chose to circle around the house perimeter.

The house had been quiet. Too quiet for his liking.

After all, this was Kyo, for crying out loud. If that stupid cat was in the house, there was bound to be some noise about now. But there was nothing except Tohru's calling, and it disturbed him.

Even if Kagura had come by and kidnapped Kyo, there would at least be some form of evidence, such as broken doors, broken tables, broken chairs, broken anything in particular. But no, the house had looked alright.

"Alright, where are you, you moronic feline," Yuki muttered, almost reaching the end of his second circuit.

Suddenly, with a loud "THWAP!", something connected with Yuki's shoulders and sent him sprawling onto his back.

_What the...?_ Yuki propped himself up on his elbows and took a good look at his attacker.

It was a toddler, probably no more than two years of age. Wide, kittenish crimson eyes stared back at him under a disheveled mop of orange hair.

Yuki groaned and sat up. "Where on earth did you come from?"

In response, the kid just smiled and continued staring at him.

Seeing no other real alternative at the moment, Yuki picked up the toddler and held him at arm's length for further study. The child blinked as Yuki cocked his head slightly, and copied the move. When the gray-haired teenager cocked his head the other way, he mirrored that as well.

_Who would leave such a small child out here?_ Yuki wondered, noticing how the boy's shirt sleeves hung off his little arms. _And in clothes of obviously the wrong size, at that._

Right at that moment, Tohru came running from the house. "Yuki-kun! Have you seen Kyo-kun? I think he's gone!"

"Gone?"

Then something clicked in Yuki's mind.

_Stupid cat gone... strange kid with his hair and eye color... wearing clothes way too big... It can't be._

Fighting a new wave of panic, Yuki pulled back a floppy sleeve to check the toddler's right arm.

Secured around the small wrist was a string of purple and white beads.

The kid giggled, and Yuki finally let the wave hit him as it pleased.

"KYO?!"

/-----------------------------------/

_**ABSTRACT OFF MSN CONVERSATION:**_

_**PJ:**_ Fine. I'll polish it up and post it on ffnet. Are you happy?

_**HW:**_ Yes. VERY. Want R&R?

**_PJ:_** You never review my stories. You hardly reviewed anyone this year, you joker.

**_HW:_** Cliché, touché, and shame on me.

**_PJ:_** That phrase sounds familiar. Do I really wanna know why?

**_HW:_** Hehe...

_**PJ:**_ Joker...

/-----------------------------------/


	2. Change of What?

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**Alright, I'm taken aback. I sure wasn't expecting reviews. No one reviewed my Digimon Frontier one-shot collection, and I was expecting similar results for this one.**_

_**Well, anyway, thank you guys so much. Those reviews sure meant a lot to me.**_

_**PJ**_

/-----------------------------------/

What should have started out as a wonderful day, was anything but wonderful for Sohma Yuki the Rat.

The Cat was spoiling everything for him, as always.

This time around, his new tactic, apparently, was to return to his early childhood. And this was one tactic that the Rat was just about ready to admit defeat to.

But first, he had to explain the matter to the Dog.

And just as Sohma Yuki and Honda Tohru were still recovering from shock, Sohma Shigure the Dog chose that moment to come home.

Wonderful day, isn't it Yuki?

/-----------------------------------/

"I see. So this is what's going on here."

Shigure took the orange-haired toddler from Yuki and mock-glared at the little kid. "Now what are we supposed to do with you, young man? Hmm?"

The toddler - whom they could only assume was Kyo - giggled and "honked" Shigure's nose, winning happy laughter from the Dog.

As it was easily seen, Shigure did not seem ruffled at all by the drastic change in the Cat. Au contraire, he seemed to enjoy it.

/-----------------------------------/

Still well-hidden where he knew they could not sense him, he watched as the Sohma Dog acquainted himself with the child.

He smiled. So, it seemed, the Dog liked his new kitten.

Just as he wanted it to be.

Keep smiling, doggy.

I need you to be smiling when I come.

And, oh yes, you'll be thanking me in the midst of chaos.

/-----------------------------------/

Yuki slowly followed Tohru and Shigure back into the house, wearily watching the novelist nuzzle the much smaller Kyo affectionately and coo nonsensical phrases like a demented grandfather. Unable to watch such a scene anymore, he procrastinated in removing his shoes to give the pair ample time to disappear from sight. _I guess I should be grateful that at least _someone_ here is calm enough to handle this._

"Ah! No, no, Kyo-chan, don't eat that! Come, let me have it!"

_Now what?_ Yuki entered the kitchen to see Shigure holding mini-Kyo with his right arm, and trying to read a soggy wad of paper in his left hand.

"What's that?" Yuki asked, pointing at the wet paper.

"Our orange kitten here picked it off the fridge door for texture-sampling," Shigure explained.

"So what does it say?"

"I can't tell, but I certainly recognize this signature," Shigure answered. He returned his attention to the toddler and held up the soggy paper wad. "Kyo-chan, did you know you were eating your own message?"

The kid simply fussed a little and tried to get the paper that was just out of reach.

Yuki sighed. _I think I'm about ready to believe he's really Kyo now. That moronic trait is no mistake._

Shigure quickly dropped the paper into the waste basket to grab the now squirming child with both hands. "You know, Yuki-kun, I just realized something."

"Oh really? It never occurred to me that you can _think_ in the first place."

"How can you say that? Yuki-kun, I'm so hurt!" Shigure looked shocked and dismayed as he spoke. Apparently, chibi-Kyo found this very entertaining, and he paused in his squirming long enough to laugh and clap.

Yuki sighed. "Just tell me what it is, will you?"

"Well, firstly, we don't have any baby supplies," Shigure said.

"Thank you for stating the obvious."

"_Secondly_," Shigure held the still squirmy toddler at arm's length, as far from himself as possible. "I think Kyo-chan here needs a change of you-know-what."

Yuki groaned.

/-----------------------------------/

_**ABSTRACT OFF MSN CONVERSATION:**_

_**HW:**_ You got reviews! Are you happy?

_**PJ:**_ Of course. I'm always happy when I get reviews.

**_HW:_** Then prove it! Say "YOSH"!

**_PJ:_** No, thank you...

**_HW:_** C'mon, please?

_**PJ:**_ I've got rep to keep here.

**_HW:_** I know two guys who do it, so can the rep talk. Say "YOSH"!

_**PJ:**_ Do I really have to?

**_HW:_** Like, YES! I'll review Chapter Two!

_**PJ:**_ YOSH!!!

**_HW:_** GOOD BOY!! #thumbs up#

**_( - )_**

_**I'm a sucker, I know. I'm also a review addict, so help me.**_

_**Pelz-Junge**_

/-----------------------------------/


	3. Passive Resistance, and No Kitten!

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**Back again, I am! For the reviews, thank you! (I make a lousy impression of Yoda. Methinks we can't have everything.)**_

_**If you like, you can guess the identity of "Mystery Person" from Chapters 1 and 2. My only hint is that it's a Sohma. (The truth will be revealed much, much later.)**_

_**Oh yeah, and in order to save my typing time (the lazy chimpanzee reports), we're just gonna call the kid chibi-Kyo. Okay? Okay!**_

_**And here we are: the story itself.**_

_**PJ**_

/-----------------------------------/

"I'm BA-A-A-A-ACK!"

"It's about time." Yuki's voice somehow managed to carry over the loud wailing that echoed through the house. The gray-haired teen soon came out to greet Shigure, holding the now screaming kid in one arm. He looked stressed. _Very_ stressed. "Did you get it?"

"Of course!" Shigure replied, pulling out a package from its bag and tearing off the protective plastic. "This was all I could get, but first things first, yes? We'll settle the other supplies later."

"Anything, let's just fix this little... _child's_ problem so he can give me some peace," Yuki said, suppressing a growl and a number of choice words through sheer force of will.

Shigure nodded and started to open the package. An extremely irritated Yuki was not one to tease. Not if you didn't want to wake up in animal form with your tail tied to a ceiling lamp. "So where's Tohru-chan?"

"Honda-san went to Hanajima-san's to borrow a few outfits. (1)"

"Did you tell her not to reveal our...um...circumstances?"

"I told her to tell Hanajima-san that it was for one of our younger cousins staying over." (2)

"I see. Good idea," said Shigure.

Yuki grabbed the open package with his free hand, and hauled both his burdens to the bathroom.

Shoot, he could effortlessly flatten Kyo as an adolescent. It couldn't possibly be any harder to tackle him as a two-year-old.

Right?

/-----------------------------------/

Wrong.

Yuki sighed wearily, trying to calm down before he popped his blood vessels. "You never did like cooperating with me, you stupid cat."

Chibi-Kyo just continued to glare at him from his position.

Improvising with what they had, Yuki had laid a towel across the floor and put the toddler on top of the towel before getting a clean diaper on him.

At least, that was what he was trying to do.

If anyone who knew children enough was next to Yuki, they would have told him three things:

One, that there was a certain phase in a child's life known world-wide as "the terrible twos."

Two, that children going through that phase found something they really didn't like.

Three, that, regardless on how much they liked (or disliked) a certain person, so long as it was something they really didn't like, they would refuse to submit.

Yuki frowned at the little boy before him. "You know, I can't change you if you stiffen your legs like this."

Chibi-Kyo refused to acknowledge the hint, and his little legs remained locked in position.

Now, if anyone who knew children enough was really next to Yuki, they would have also told him that he had just discovered what it was that this particular child really didn't like. (_**PJ**_: and no, Kyo-experts, I'm not referring to Yuki.)

The door slid open a little, and Shigure poked his head in. "How's the changing going?"

"What do you think?"

Shigure looked on in disapproval. "You really don't know much about child care, do you?"

"They haven't taught us this sort of thing in school, if that's what you mean," Yuki replied, glaring back at chibi-Kyo.

Shigure clapped his hands dramatically and waved Yuki aside. "Well then! Kindly step aside and let a man do his job!"

_Isn't caring for children a _woman's_ job?_ All the same, Yuki shifted to see for himself what Shigure would do.

To his surprise, as well as chibi-Kyo's, Shigure made a face and stuck his tongue out, causing himself to remarkably resemble a very dead fish.

Chibi-Kyo immediately started to giggle, and his legs relaxed.

"Aha! You see?" Shigure looked very pleased with himself as he spoke. "The Sohmas have always had a weakness for funny faces when they were babies!"

"And how would you know that?" Yuki asked, forgetting chibi-Kyo for the moment.

"Unlike you, yours truly himself happened to do quite a bit of babysitting when he was thirteen!" Shigure announced proudly.

"Oh? Who was unlucky enough to be under your charge?"

"Haru, on one occasion, but mostly Akito."

_I see..._ Yuki reflexively shuddered before composing himself. "Alright, here's how we'll work on this: You do whatever faces you want, and I'll get this thing on him."

"Can do." With those words said, Shigure did another face. "Oh Kyo-cha-a-a-a-an!"

As chibi-Kyo's legs relaxed again, Yuki grabbed the opportunity to move them apart.

And then a jet of yellow fluid - which could only be pee-pee - hit him square in the face. (3)

Amidst the stereo laughing, Yuki blinked and shook his head in shock before turning to glare at Shigure. "You knew this would happen."

Shigure grinned. "Yup! That's why I had Hatori do all the handwork in changing back then."

Yuki grabbed a paper towel to clean his face. _I had to ask...I just _had_ to ask..._

/-----------------------------------/

About some time later, the sliding door moved again, and Tohru stepped into the house with a bag of clothing.

Freshly out from the shower, Yuki came out to meet her while still toweling his hair dry. (**_PJ_**: He's fully dressed! This is PG! - 4) "How did it go, Honda-san?"

"Hana-chan didn't seem to buy the story at first, but I managed to borrow those clothes," Tohru replied, holding up the bag in hand.

"Ah, welcome back, Tohru-chan!" Shigure emerged from the adjoining room as he spoke, carrying chibi-Kyo. "It's a shame you were too late to witness the fun we had earlier. Right, Kyo-chan?"

Happy once again, chibi-Kyo giggled. It was unlikely that he even understood what the funny man just said. Not impossible. Just unlikely.

"Um...what happened?"

"It's nothing, Honda-san," Yuki quickly assured her, glaring at the sniggering duo behind him.

Since Yuki felt that way, Tohru decided to drop the embarrassing subject (as usual), and showed Shigure her bag. "I got the clothes, Shigure-san."

"Wonderful!" Shigure voiced his approval. Then he held up chibi-Kyo. "Here, Tohru-chan, how would you like to hold Kyo-chan for a while?"

/-----------------------------------/

Yuki was imagining chibi-Kyo after Tohru hugged him, or something along similar lines.

Manifested from the creative side of his brain, was a small kitten with doleful crimson eyes and soft orange fur, looking like the most innocent and sweet thing in the world, sitting on its haunches...

...before a mutilated kotatsu, fragments of shattered crockery, collapsed shelves, spilt food, a damaged staircase, scattered remains of raw fish...

...and his room - table, bed, homework and all - covered in muddy paw prints, scratch marks, cat-sick, and kitty turd. (5)

And then the kitten mewed, blinking its wide eyes, as though asking if something was the matter.

/-----------------------------------/

Shigure blinked, and found his arms empty. "Goodness."

Tohru looked over at her peer, the confusion evident on her face. "What's wrong, Yuki-kun?"

Chibi-Kyo stared up at the "big brother" who was holding him so tightly and taking short, quick breaths. The quizzical look on his youthful face was almost comical.

"Honda-san," Yuki finally managed to say after composing himself enough. "I think it would be best if you did not hug Kyo at the moment."

"Not hug Kyo-chan? But he's so huggable!" Shigure protested. "Yuki-kun, how could you be so cruel?"

Yuki glared pointedly at Shigure. "If that's how you feel, you can be in charge of cleaning after him until he gets back to his normal age."

Barely an eighth of a second later, Shigure made his decision.

"Sorry, Tohru-chan, but we'll take charge of holding Kyo-chan for now," he told her quickly, adding: "You can help us in any other matter, though."

"Oh," said Tohru, looking a little disappointed. "Alright, then, if it's best."

By the look on chibi-Kyo's face, he seemed to empathize with her.

With a sigh of relief, Yuki held the child up, and watched as Shigure and Tohru started to pick out strange combinations of shirt and pants for the little guy.

/-----------------------------------/

(1): Sources tell me that Hana's got five members in her family, so I'm going on an assumption that Hana has an infant sibling. Shoot, those really small sets of clothes gotta come from _somewhere_!

(2) : Not really a lie there, so who can complain?

(3) : Special thanks to "GirlWaterShaman" for the idea. As you can tell, if you're a Digimon fan, I've been taking a few notes from Digimon Frontier. Poor, poor Sohma Yuki and poor, poor Kimura Kouichi.

(4) : Don't look at me like that, you perverse nut jobs! The CHILDREN! Remember the CHILDREN!

(5) : Taken from an exaggerated, but true account. My source is a college graduate whose cat is nearly as old as him, so leave me alone.

_**ABSTRACT OFF MSN CONVERSATION:**_

_**HW:**_ So whatcha gonna do?

_**PJ:**_ A reviewer suggested the kiddo fire away in Yuki's face.

**_HW:_** LOL! Do it! Do it!

**_PJ:_** Sure, but a kid hosing down Yuki isn't going to take up much room.

**_HW:_** Then make your chibi-Kyo do some resistance.

_**PJ:**_ ...Resistance?

**_HW:_** Sure! You know, like that time I told you about Wren and Darryl in Baby Blues.

_**PJ:**_ Got it.

**_HW:_** PSYCHED!! #thumbs up#

**_PJ:_** Take my advice and tone down a little on that FB book 4 you've got.

**_HW:_** Hehe...

/-----------------------------------/


	4. Of Dinner and Flashcards

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**Well, here's yet another chapter. The fourth one so far.**_

_**And YES! I got a total of twenty-seven reviews! (count them! TWENTY-SEVEN!) THANK YOU!**_

_**And nope, no intelligible words from chibi-Kyo just yet (and that means no 'horsie', GirlWaterShamen. Oh, he'll talk soon enough, just not presently.)**_

_**PJ**_

/-----------------------------------/

_Perhaps..._ Yuki thought, studying chibi-Kyo. _Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to borrow clothes from Hanajima-san..._

The toddler was wearing a navy blue jumpsuit with the words "We Are One With The Force" printed in white on the back. As monotone as it was, it happened to be the only set of clothing in the bag that wasn't one solid piece of black or gray. Those had made chibi-Kyo look like he was attending a funeral service, and that was just too creepy.

Tohru had suggested adding designs onto those outfits of "doom and gloom", but that might not really help. Besides, they would return those suits soon enough when chibi-Kyo became Kyo again. Or maybe they wouldn't wait that long, and buy him some other clothes with a little more variety of color.

But before that, they had to feed him.

And in order to do that, dinner had to be prepared.

Chibi-Kyo's tummy ached. And there was a big, growly monster that he couldn't see or ignore (**_PJ:_** It's his stomach growling. He just doesn't know it). He needed backup! But he had been taught not to go to the lady (plenty of painful grabs and angry "NO!"s), the funny man had disappeared when he wasn't looking, so that left only one person to confide his troubles in.

"Nnnnn!" chibi-Kyo whined loudly, for the fifth time in a row, and clamped himself onto Yuki's leg, looking up and into his eyes pitifully.

Yuki took a very deep breath and slowly counted to ten, reminding itself how wrong it was to deliberately maim a young child. _I'll just have to kill Kyo when he gets back to normal._ Forcing himself to be patient once again, he reached down and tried (_tried!_) to pry chibi-Kyo's small hands from his leg. "For the last time, Kyo, you have to wait. Honda-san hasn't finished yet."

"_Nnnnn_!" chibi-Kyo whined again, refusing to comply. The big, growly monster that he couldn't see was hurting him! And he was hungry! He needed help, and he needed it now!

"Dinner's ready!"

_Oh thank goodness._ Yuki headed for the dining table, dragging the leg that chibi-Kyo was still clinging on to. Shigure was already seating himself when he saw the two approach.

"Aw...is little Kyo-chan lonely?" Shigure crooned, clapping twice and extending his arms. "Come to your Daddy 'Gure then!"

"How very manly of you, Daddy 'Gure," Yuki commented dryly, as chibi-Kyo detached himself from his leg and scampered to Shigure for a cuddle. He went into the kitchen.

/-----------------------------------/

"Do you need any help, Honda-san?"

"Oh no, Yuki-kun, it's alright. Why don't you go sit down first?"

But Yuki wasn't listening. He had noticed a disposable bowl set aside by itself, and saw a kind of mush inside. "Honda-san, what's this?"

"What?" Tohru looked in his direction as she spoke. "Oh! That's for Kyo-chan. Hana-chan gave it to me along with the clothes. She told me that it was easier for young children to eat food like that."

_"Kyo-chan"... Et tu, Honda-san? Man..._

"I'll take it outside," Yuki offered, picking up the bowl. Out of curiosity, he asked: "What's in it?"

"Well...it was prepackaged. I remember porridge, but not the rest. Maybe I should have kept the box."

Yuki picked up a spoon and carefully looked through the expertly mashed contents. He saw what looked like meat somewhere, and then he found what he was looking for.

_There _is_ leek in here. Maybe I should warn Shigure before he tries to feed Kyo. This could get a bit messy._

_Ah, what the hey. He had this coming. Vegetables are good for Kyo anyway._

Yuki mixed the mush around a little with the spoon, reburying his discovery, and proceeded to carry it out.

/-----------------------------------/

Shigure looked up from his playing with chibi-Kyo to see Yuki carry a disposable bowl to the table. "Where did that come from?"

"Hanajima-san's recommendation," Yuki replied, passing the bowl across the table. "Here: it's for your friend's dinner."

Shigure took hold of the bowl and peered inside. "Instant baby food, eh? This shouldn't pose too great a problem."

It certainly seemed that way. Chibi-Kyo eyed the contents with great interest as Shigure stirred them around to cool.

Finally, Shigure lifted a spoonful, carefully blew on it, and offered it to chibi-Kyo. "Here we are! Open wide now, Kyo-chan!"

Chibi-Kyo happily did as he was bade.

"Shigure-san," Tohru said as she brought out the rest of the dishes. "Should we call Kazuma-san and tell him what's going on? He might give us some advice."

"I...don't think it's the best thing to do," Shigure replied, sticking the spoonful of food into chibi-Kyo's open mouth. "I dropped in on Hatori before I came home, and he told me Kazuma-sensei's come down with the flu."

"Is he alright?"

"He's a little delirious, but Hatori didn't sound worried, so he should be fine," Shigure replied. He smiled in approval at chibi-Kyo as he fed the toddler another spoonful of baby food. "Besides, we're having so much fun taking care of him ourselves! Aren't we, little guy?"

Too preoccupied with his dinner, chibi-Kyo did not supply an answer.

/-----------------------------------/

Yuki stared as chibi-Kyo finished spoonful after spoonful. The mush was rapidly disappearing down the toddler's throat.

The kid was eating _leeks_. The kid was eating leeks _willingly_. The kid was eating leeks willingly, _without complaint_.

Of all three actions, the Kyo he was familiar with would die before he attempted any of them.

Something strange was going on around here, and he wasn't too sure he liked it. (1)

"Yuki-kun? What's wrong?"

Yuki smiled reassuringly and picked up his chopsticks. "It's nothing, Honda-san."

/-----------------------------------/

After dinner, Shigure took charge of chibi-Kyo once more. Carrying the toddler with one arm, and a stack of flashcards in his free hand, Shigure selected a spacious bit of floor where he sat toddler, flashcards and himself.

"Now then, Kyo-chan," he said, laying out the cards on the floor between him and the toddler. "Time to reintroduce you to the wonders of learning!"

Yuki, who happened to be finishing a gardening manual, looked up. "Is there even a point in that?"

Shigure nodded confidently. "Of course there is! It just might strengthen Kyo-chan's learning capabilities once he gets big again!"

"Why else?"

"I was bored."

Yuki returned to his book and gave no further comment.

Shigure grinned and held up a flashcard with a black dog on it. "Now this, Kyo-chan, is a dog, one of your Daddy 'Gure's favorite animals! Can you say 'dog'?"

Chibi-Kyo's wide eyes stared at the dog picture, but he said nothing.

"Let's try this a different way." Shigure put down the flashcard and rearranged it among the others. Finally, he sat back again. Before him were a random assortment of animal picture flashcards. "Now where's the dog?"

Chibi-Kyo frowned in deep concentration. Then he smiled and pointed at one of the pictures.

"That's right!" Shigure exclaimed gleefully, replacing the flashcards with new ones. "Now then, where's your Daddy 'Gure?"

Chibi-Kyo looked up at Shigure, then back down at the pictures. Each one had a strange thing on it, and only one looked relatively similar in basic shape.

He finally pointed at that picture.

"Such a clever boy," Shigure praised, petting chibi-Kyo on the head. "Yes, you are."

Yuki put his book down, took a curious glance at the picture, then glared at Shigure. "That's a picture of Sendoh Akira."

"Yeah, I know," Shigure replied. "Why? Are you telling me that I don't look like him?"

"I'm telling you that you're two bananas short of a fruit basket."

"Humph," Shigure said, frowning. Then a devious glint appeared in his eye, and he pulled out more pictures. "Never mind, Kyo-chan. This should be easier for you: Where is Yuki?"

Chibi-Kyo looked at all the pictures, then at Yuki, then back at the pictures. Stress was etched all over his young face. This time, there wasn't even one that was close to the basic shape. He looked pleadingly up at Shigure.

"You can do it, Kyo-chan," Shigure reassured him, stealthily tapping his finger on the edge of a particular flashcard.

Still doubtful but without hesitation, chibi-Kyo followed his lead and pointed at the picture of a dodo.

"Right again, Kyo-chan! That's Yuki all over!"

"SHIGURE!" Yuki shouted in justified anger and shot to his feet, the book forgotten the moment his name had been said. "You are so gone, you stupid damn-"

Shigure gasped and covered chibi-Kyo's ears. "Yuki-kun! Shame on you!"

Yuki paused in mid-advance. "Now what?"

Shigure glared at him in righteous indignation, leaning protectively over the mildly confused chibi-Kyo.

"No bad and dirty words in front of the baby!"

/-----------------------------------/

(1): D Plot thick-e-n-s-s-s-s-s....

_**ABSTRACT OFF MSN CONVERSATION:**_

_**HW:**_ Twenty-five reviews in three chapters, you spunk-skunk! Way to go!

_**PJ:**_ Thank you, thank you, thank you. #bows#

**_HW:_** lol. ANYWAY: When's Chap. 4 coming? I wanna read it!

**_PJ:_** Without reviewing, as usual.

**_HW:_** And to think I keep giving you advice! Where's your gratitude?!

_**PJ:**_ ...

**_HW:_** WELL?

_**PJ:**_ #sigh# Thank you a million times, Howling WereWolf. Never in my life will I have the power to repay this debt.

**_HW:_** Sweet! Kiss my feet, too.

_**PJ:**_ EAT... MY... TURD!!!

**_HW:_** lol! Good comeback, I'm impressed!

**_PJ:_** lol. That makes the two of us.

/-----------------------------------/


	5. Change of Mind, or Change of Heart?

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**A big "Thanks" to you people for your endless support (and your 38 reviews!).**_

_**Oh, and keosis-chan: don't let ownership of anything bother you. If you really want to do it, then follow your heart's lead. After all, the reason why we're all here today at , to write freely and without a care. (that is, before writer's block sets in)**_

_**Well, for most of you, here's a little treat. We all know Yuki has not been very fond of chibi-Kyo these past few chapters, so what happens when they're stuck together alone for half a day? Don't ask me, just read the darn chapter.**_

_**PJ**_

/-----------------------------------/

The week was almost through, and yet chibi-Kyo was still...well...chibi-Kyo. There was no major transmogrifications, no big "poof" followed by "what the...", and certainly no normal Kyo yelling his head off at anyone who cared to listen. By now, Yuki had given up waiting.

In those few days of bathing, feeding and changing (this Yuki recalled with disgust), Shigure was getting more and more attached to the toddler. But he sure wasn't the one who had to take a thorough shower right after each hectic event that involved the cursed diaper. All those baptisms weren't easing the relationship between Yuki and chibi-Kyo any.

Sure, chibi-Kyo was as cute as young children could get, but he was still the miniature Cat, the nemesis of the Rat, and nothing could really change that.

Not even those times when he fell asleep at the kotatsu, only to wake up and find the same orange-haired toddler snuggled against him, sucking his thumb contentedly.

/-----------------------------------/

(**_Yuki_**: Alright, where are we heading here?

**_PJ_**: Quiet, you. I'm trying to get the gears moving.

_**Yuki**_: This does not involve any professions of love between cat and mouse, right?

**_PJ_**: Just cute bonding. Not a drop of romance, if that's what got you so peeved.

**_Yuki_**: I'm quiet now.)

/-----------------------------------/

"Oh, Yuki-kun!" Shigure called out in a sing-song voice.

Yuki exited the shower room in a set of dry, clean clothing. They had just finished another of those sessions, and he still wasn't too pleased. "What do you want, now?"

Shigure held up the happy chibi-Kyo like a trophy at a prize-giving ceremony. "I need you to watch Kyo-chan here for a while."

"What the heck?"

"My assistant is on a suicidal run again, so I have to rush out and get my book pages to her," Shigure explained, in a somewhat casual (what the?) manner. "And Tohru-chan had to go shopping for our meal later. That just leaves you to take care of him."

"Now, see here-" Yuki started, but interrupted promptly.

"Surely, Yuki-kun! You can't be suggesting poor, defenseless little Kyo-chan be left on his own? You aren't that heartless, _are you_?"

Yuki was a little taken aback. Sure, he wasn't keen on babysitting, but this was a little harsh. "Well, I-"

"Thank you, Yuki-kun!" Shigure interrupted again, dropping chibi-Kyo into Yuki's arms hastily. "He's just been changed, like you know, he will be fed when Tohru-chan and I get back, and otherwise, all he needs is a short nap! Have fun! Bye!"

"Wait a minute!" Yuki's protest went unheard as Shigure zipped out the door so fast, he left a cloud of dust in his wake.

Yuki looked down at chibi-Kyo, who was looking up at him with puzzlement all too plain on his youthful face. "Why do I have to be stuck with you?"

Suddenly, the door opened again, and Shigure dashed in. "Aha... Forgot my pages. Bye again!"

Then he was out once more.

Chibi-Kyo made an unintelligible sound to himself. Yuki groaned.

/-----------------------------------/

Disgruntled, Yuki strode into his room and dropped his small load onto his bed. Chibi-Kyo bounced once on the mattress, giggling as the momentum caused him to roll over a couple of times.

Hardly impressed by the scene, Yuki picked the child up again, this time setting him firmly on one side of the bed.

Chibi-Kyo's wide eyes watched his "big brother" as Yuki climbed onto the bed as well, and drew a line between them with his index finger.

"Alright. Here's how things are: This is your spot, this is the line, this is my spot," Yuki stated, pointing for emphasis. "You stay on your spot, and I'll stay on my spot. Got it?"

Chibi-Kyo nodded.

"Good." Yuki sat back and picked up the book he had yet to finish (refer to chapter 4), and came to where he had left off with fertilizers.

Right there and then, there was a soft - but distinct - "thup" as chibi-Kyo jumped on him.

With a deep sigh, Yuki plucked the little boy off him and set him back down in his designated spot. "Kyo," he said deliberately, commanding the younger one's attention. "Stay here. _Here_. Don't move. Don't even _think_ about moving. Can you understand that?"

Chibi-Kyo nodded again.

_I'm taking a blind leap of faith and assuming you do._ Yuki sat back again and went on about the pros and cons of certain chemical fertilizers versus biological "core dumps". _I doubt Haru will be too convinced by salt lick on a stick._ (1)

This time, with a loud "thwap", Yuki was knocked over as chibi-Kyo jumped on him again.

_For crying out loud..._ Yuki propped himself up on his elbows and turned to glare at the toddler, who was seated quite comfortably on his lower back. "What, do I look like a carnival pony to you?" (2)

Chibi-Kyo bounced a little as an answer, and when Yuki pushed himself up onto hands and knees, the toddler rolled off and back onto the bed, all the while giggling with innocent delight.

"That does it. You win." Yuki climbed off the bed and sat on the floor as he spoke, the book firmly grasped in one hand. "You get the whole bed now."

There was silence. Not even the rustling on bed sheets could be heard.

Then Yuki felt an insistent tug on his shirt, accompanied by a small whimper.

_Oh, for the love of..._ Yuki cast his eye skyward, seeking heavenly aid in keeping his temper checked, before turning to glare at the smaller character that had just conquered his bed.

Then he noticed the child's eyes.

The two crimson orbs were filled with loneliness and a pleading cry for attention.

He had seen eyes like that before. They had been his own, as a child himself, when he had been isolated from even his family.

Feeling newly-found empathy toward the little boy before him, Yuki softened his stance. Reaching over, he picked up chibi-Kyo and set him on his lap. "Is this what you want?"

Chibi-Kyo promptly smiled again and settled down.

Yuki finally allowed himself a small smile as he petted the orange hair. "I guess it is alright... just this once, anyway."

/-----------------------------------/

After providing his stressed out confident - otherwise known as Mit-chan the assistant - with something to live for in the next month, Shigure was finally able to go home.

Knowing the poor, poor relationship that had always been between this generation of Cat and Rat, he was expecting some chaos.

He was at least expecting one of them to be crying his lungs out.

He wasn't expecting a completely silent house.

Neither was he expecting to find the two sleeping on the floor at the foot of Yuki's bed, looking quite cozy together.

Watching them, Shigure let out an involuntary snort of laughter. As controlled as it was, it was loud enough to earn itself a response.

/-----------------------------------/

Yuki stirred to the sound of stifled laughter, and cracked open an eyelid.

Shigure was standing there before him, a very wide grin on his face. "I say, you two are the cutest things I've seen in my life! What I would give for a camera right now!"

Yuki looked down at the still slumbering chibi-Kyo, then lazily glared at Shigure. "Leave me alone, dumb mutt."

"Fine. Be that way," Shigure replied, looking insulted. Then he was serious, something that wasn't seen often for one such as him. "But you know, Yuki-kun, maybe there is room for reconciliation between you and Kyo."

"Why did you suddenly say that?"

"Spur of the moment," Shigure answered, shrugging. Then he left the room, and them in peace.

With a yawn, chibi-Kyo woke up as well. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he looked up at Yuki and smiled.

"I'll admit that I still don't like you," said Yuki. "But I'll also admit: I wouldn't mind being your big brother for now."

Chibi-Kyo climbed off Yuki's lap, and spotted the forgotten book nearby.

And then he chose that moment to sample its texture.

"NO!!"

/-----------------------------------/

(1) : In order to turn those incessant cow floppies into natural fertilizer, some farmers like to stick salt licks on their fields to make the cows come home (something like that, anyway)

(2) : And YES, GirlWaterShaman! It's been done! The prophecy has been fulfilled! (A carnival pony is still a horse, like it or no! Get with the program!)

_**ABSTRACT OFF MSN CONVERSATION:**_

_**HW:**_ YOU DA MAN, BUB!

_**PJ:**_ Yeesh, you have no idea about how guilty I feel right now...

**_HW:_** Oh? What about?

**_PJ:_** The truth and all that.

**_HW:_** What truth?

_**PJ:**_ You know! The truth behind chibi-Kyo!

**_HW:_** OH! You mean the fact that chibi-Kyo is -

_**PJ:**_ QUIET!

**_HW:_** WHAT?!

_**PJ:**_ SPOILER ALERT!!!

**_HW:_** Don't tell me: this is going in your footnotes too?!

**_PJ:_** Well....yeah.

**_HW:_** I give up. Do what you want.

/-----------------------------------/


	6. The Other Shoe Drops

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**And so it happens.**_

_**So yeah, Mystery Person makes a comeback. That's all I'm gonna tell you, or you wouldn't even bother to read.**_

_**Well, here goes nothing...**_

_**PJ**_

/-----------------------------------/

Horoscopes, for some uncanny reason, always seem to know just when the weirdest of weird things is going to happen to you one fine morning.

Tohru did not keep track of horoscopes. Neither did Yuki. Nor Shigure.

Perhaps they should have...

/-----------------------------------/

Tohru was going through the laundry (Yuki's was distinctly more than usual), when she heard the door slide open.

There was no cause for alarm. After all, Shigure had gone out for a quiet stroll in the nearby forest. It could only be him returning.

The door did not slide shut, as though whoever it was had been too lazy to bother.

"Dammit, I'm _starvin'_..."

There was a cause for alarm, now. Shigure wasn't one to say things like that. Neither was Yuki (he was in his room anyway). She only knew one person in her lifetime who would talk like that.

Dropping the clothes back into the basket, Tohru hastily rose to her feet and hurried to the kitchen, where the distinct other set of footsteps were headed.

Someone was leaning slightly on the ajar refrigerator door, fishing out the cold leftover sushi rice and a container of raw salmon.

Someone with a disheveled mop of orange bangs, irritated crimson eyes, and a purple-and-white bead bracelet peeking from the left sleeve of his oversized shirt.

That someone realized he was being stared at, and turned to look at her.

"Oh. Hi, Tohru," he said, sounding a little awkward.

Still staring, Tohru had only one word to say to that someone.

"_KYO_!"

/-----------------------------------/

_What the...?_

Yuki put down his pen.

He recalled dropping Kyo off in his own room for a nap. It didn't seem possible for a kid his size to move that fast and wreck any havoc when he was all but knocked out.

Could it?

After that first time with changing, Yuki didn't count on taking any chances.

Leaving his written notes where they were, Yuki rose from his seat and made his way to the kitchen.

/-----------------------------------/

Using his free hand as an interception, Kyo prevented Tohru from jumping on him in the nick of time. "Um... It was just a week, Tohru. Not a year or anything."

_...a week?_ Tohru withdrew from where her forehead had connected with his hand in her rush. "Kyo, you mean you remember everything?"

Kyo presented her with yet another of his "exactly how dumb are you?" looks. "I didn't get amnesia, you know. I remember just fine."

Tohru's wide eyes continued to fly up and down his whole physique, as though she had seen him for the first time, and could not believe that he was real. "How...what...when..."

Kyo averted her stare, looking embarrassed as he scratched his head. "Sorry about...y' know..."

Tohru stopped her examination and blinked. Why was he apologizing? "But Kyo, it wasn't your fault. I don't think you expected it either."

"Well...something like that," was the muttered reply. "But at least I should have told you first, face-to-face, instead of leaving that note."

Tohru was confused now. "...Note?"

"Guess you didn't read it, then. You know when Hatori called me last week?"

Tohru's eyes widened again. _Hatori_ knew about this all along?!

Kyo was starting to move on to the back of his neck, still looked really embarrassed. "Yeah, well, I kinda panicked and all that. I was scared for Shishou. Thought he might kill himself taking care of the dojo, y'know?"

_Shishou...Kazuma-san? The dojo?_

"Kyo?" Tohru finally dared herself to ask. "You mean you were at the dojo all this while?"

/-----------------------------------/

Yuki stared in shock at the two people in the kitchen. Especially the taller male with orange hair, red eyes and habitual frown that he could only pinpoint as Kyo.

_What..._

There was a soft crash from Kyo's room, followed by a now familiar giggle.

_...the..._

Yuki looked sharply at the Kyo in the kitchen, then turned to look in the direction of the sound.

_HECK?!_

/-----------------------------------/

"Yeah, I felt I needed to. I heard his flu could lead to worst stuff if he didn't rest himself."

Tohru was silent now, unable to comprehend the daunting thoughts that were solemnly chewing at her on the inside.

There was a crash, and Kyo looked toward where it had come from. "Why is someone knocking things over in my room? And giggling at it?"

When he did not receive an answer, he left the stunned Tohru to gape after him in the kitchen, brushed past an equally stunned Yuki, and toward the closed door that led to his room.

He slid open the door, and went in.

Then there was a momentary silence.

Then there was another crash, followed by a happy giggle.

"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!?!"

/-----------------------------------/

In that same hideout that was used for the second time already, someone was watching the unraveling scene via special means. (The open door, duh)

How could it be?!

Why was the cat back so soon?!

Apparently, some things were beyond prediction and planning.

No matter, at least a week had passed.

A week was better than none.

Now all that was left, was for the Dog to come back.

Speak of the hound from hell. Here comes the handsome pooch himself.

/-----------------------------------/

**To Be Continued.**

_**Oh yes. I'm a bad boy.**_

_**I also own five Chinese crafted swords of the finest designs, so kindly leave me unscathed.**_

_**ABSTRACT OFF MSN CONVERSATION:**_

_**HW:**_ And then there was one.

_**PJ:**_ And then there was two.

**_HW:_** And then there was three.

**_PJ:_** And then there was four.

**_HW:_** And then there was five.

_**PJ:**_ Just how long are we going to do this?

**_HW:_** Humor me one more time.

_**PJ:**_ And then there was six.

**_HW:_** And then there was a Triple Choc Fudge ice-cream.

_**PJ:**_ With ice-cream and fudge and ice-cream and fudge and ice-cream and fudge and chocolate sauce?

**_HW:_** Spot on.

**_PJ:_** Ho yeah.

/-----------------------------------/


	7. No Such Thing As Two Kyos

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**Yup. I'm back. I took a long time, I know, but I had life to deal with. Plus, my neighbor got dumped, and developed a disturbing liking for "Achy Breaky Heart" at two o'clock in the morning. For three whole days.**_

_**PJ**_

/-----------------------------------/

"Kids! I'm home!"

Shigure stood at the doorway, carefully removing his shoes. There was a distinct commotion going on somewhere in the house, but that was it.

Shigure felt a little offended. "Don't I at least get a greeting?"

/-----------------------------------/

The ominous presence continued to watch from the hiding spot that, for some ridiculous reason, had not been found out yet.

The person frowned, eyebrows narrowing.

Be careful with what you wish for, Doggy.

/-----------------------------------/

"_SHIGURE_!!!"

Shigure dropped his left shoe in shock. As said shoe hit the floor with a dull "thud", something mostly blurred, but with distinct orange, appeared before him.

Kyo, in a fury that was a little more than normal for his person, was glaring daggers at Shigure. If looks could kill, Shigure would be gone, gone, gone, and gone. Never mind six feet under. He might as well be having tea with Lucifer in the King of Hell's headquarters.

Before Shigure could make a comment, Kyo held up the innocently happy Chibi-Kyo, almost shoving the toddle into the adult's face.

Chibi-Kyo grinned and flapped his arms delightedly at Shigure.

"Aw, hey there! Missed me?"

Shigure cooed and took Chibi-Kyo from Kyo.

Wait a minute.

...from_ KYO?!_

/-----------------------------------/

What did I say, Doggy?

Oy vey.

The person sighed wearily and continued watching.

/-----------------------------------/

But Shigure, still in the process of adjusting, seemed vaguely traumatized. He looked down at the smiling Chibi-Kyo, then looked up at the growling Kyo, then down again, then up again. He couldn't even bring himself to stutter.

"Welcome back, Shigure," Yuki muttered, as he made his appearance as well. "As you can see, it looks like we've been had."

"That, or else..." Shigure's head gears started to whir as he fully recovered. He glanced suspiciously at Kyo. "Have you been mucking around in some deserted alley lately?"

What happened next could only be described as the baby replicate of Third Impact in Tokyo-3.

Shigure twitched on the floor for a while before summing up enough strength to get back on his feet. "I was kidding."

"It wasn't even funny."

Shigure looked hurt. "Well, _I_ thought it was."

/-----------------------------------/

The person snickered evilly.

So did I, Doggy! So did I!

That does not matter now, though.

The person rose, wearing a pretty good smirk.

Time to make my grand entrance.

/-----------------------------------/

Time found the writer, the lady of the house, the prince of the school and two orange heads seated around the kotatsu, with the smaller orange head looking from one to another in puzzlement.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Yuki finally said. "There's no such thing as two Kyos." _As if one wasn't bad enough._

"Well said, Yuki," Shigure replied, seriousness radiating from his very person. "That could only mean one thing."

In the blink of an eye, Kyo found himself staring down an index finger pointed directly at his nose.

"Imposter!" bellowed Shigure, who owned said finger. "Reveal your true self this instant!"

The baby replicate of the Third Impact in Tokyo-3 made a short comeback.

"This Kyo _is_ the real one, dumb mutt," Yuki muttered, trying to coax an agitated blood vessel against popping.

"I can see that, now," Shigure replied, groaning from the spot on the floor that Kyo had ground him into.

"In that case..." Yuki trailed off, reaching across and picking up Chibi-Kyo. The toddler smiled, reached up and played with a few strands of gray hair.

"Who are you?"

/-----------------------------------/

Still on the way of the grand entrance, the person had to clean out a set of clothing and a head of hair.

Stupid leaves and twigs.

It's one of those times that I really don't like autumn.

/-----------------------------------/

"Ah! Maybe he's a wrong delivery!"

Three males, with confusion etched all over their faces, turned to give one Honda Tohru their undivided attention.

"I mean, another family must have asked for him, and the delivery man made a mistake and brought him here instead."

If he was seated on a chair, Kyo was certain that he would have fallen out of it by now.

"Delivery men do not deliver babies...in that sense, of course," Yuki explained wearily.

"Oh."

"Besides," Yuki continued, carefully extracting his hair from the inquisitive child's grasp. "We're quite a distance from town. There can't be any mistake in deliveries of anything."

"That is _absolutely correct_! There _is_ no mistake!"

They all turned to look toward the door, where the declaration had come from.

Chibi-Kyo squeaked in delight as he recognized the familiar face.

Yuki shot to his feet, a mixture of surprise and disgusted irritation on his features. "_You_!"

/-----------------------------------/


	8. Handle the Truth!

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**Hola. Back again.**_

**_I felt guilty for making people wait like this, so I attempted to hurry it up. But my Grandfather came over from Puerto Rico, and _someone_ had to keep the old guy company. Mom decided it should be me. (I love him, but he's the only man I know who can make golfing look like a sin.)_**

_**So yeah, guys, here it is.**_

_**PJ**_

/-----------------------------------/

"Indeed, my dearest little brother! ME! And hello to every one of you! I trust you are all hale and hearty?"

For a minute, all they could do was blink.

Unaffected by the circumstances, Chibi-Kyo squeaked again and reached for the newcomer.

"Aw... Hello again, my little angel! You remember me, don't you?"

In a flash of silver, the character we all know so well as Sohma Ayame fully entered the house, and swept the toddler up into the air.

"A..." Shigure finally started. "Aya?!"

"'Gure-kun!" Ayame replied, in all his usual cheer and humor. Proudly, he held up Chibi-Kyo. "How did you like my little present?"

"Present? You mean..." Shigure pointed at Chibi-Kyo as he spoke. "You're the one who brought him here?"

"Of course! You have _no_ idea how much planning it took! Now I remember why I let Tori do all the paperwork back in high school!"

Chibi-Kyo cooed and played with a few strands of silver hair that had come his way. Ayame immediately turned to nuzzle him affectionately and answer him in nonsensical phrases. (now why is that looking so familiar?)

Yuki's blood vessels started to go on the edge of popping once again. With a strained smile, he advanced toward the older version of himself. "Da..._Ayame_. _Big brother of mine_."

"Yes, what is...OUCH!"

Maintaining his hold, Yuki hauled Ayame all too "gently" toward the kotatsu.

"We. Need. To. Talk... _Now_!"

"Unhand my ear, varlet (1)!"

#thwack!#

"For _shame_, _big brother_! _Not_ in front of the baby!"

/-----------------------------------/

"As I was saying," Yuki dusted his hands off as he spoke, looking a little more satisfied, "we need to talk. Now would be nice."

Ayame whined a little as he rubbed his sore ear and the equally sore spot on his head. Chibi-Kyo had switched seats, and was currently comfy on Shigure's lap.

"Aya," Shigure started, staring wide-eyed at the kid once again. "How on earth did you manage to find this little guy?"

"Elementary, my dear 'Gure!" Ayame exclaimed, his voice heavy with a fake British accent. "Eyes and brains! To be PRECISE, it was all about being in the right place at the right time!"

"...huh?"

"Let's just say little Kyoshi - that's his name - jumped me in the street and followed me around half a day before someone came to collect him."

"Ah..." _That explains why he answers to "Kyo"._

"Hold there!" Shigure's eyes widened some more. "You didn't...kidnap him, did you?"

Ayame laughed. "Of course not! His acting guardian was the matron of the local orphanage! She was taking him out for a short walk when he got away from her in attraction to my sensational aura!"

"Sensational aura, my left hind limb," Kyo muttered, absent-mindedly petting Chibi-Kyo, who had become bored and made his way towards him. Then he realized what he was doing, and hastily took his hand away.

Then Yuki remembered his next suspicion. "Regarding his appearance..."

"Oh don't worry about that!" Ayame replied, obviously recovered from his earlier pain. "He has absolutely no blood ties to the Sohma clan whatsoever. I just gave him that hair color to throw you guys off."

"You _DYED_ a toddler's hair?!"

Ayame shrugged. "He didn't seem to object."

"Yeah, well, won't the welfare people complain about you, being the acting guardian, leaving the adoptee with other people?"

"Nope! Simply because 'Gure here is the second guardian!"

"What?" Shigure pointed at himself. "I am?"

Ayame nodded solemnly. "Do you remember the time I carted you off to get some papers signed?"

"You said it was necessary paperwork for my birthday present!"

"It _was_!" Ayame paused to rise to his feet, and continued in all somberness. "Sohma Shigure, as a show of how much you mean to me, for your coming birthday, I GIVE YOU A SON!"

Shigure's comeback took five seconds.

"Aya, my heart! I never knew you cared so much! Perhaps we could try for a daughter too?"

"'Gure my love! You honor me so!"

In alarm, Yuki grabbed Chibi-Kyo and covered the child's eyes and ears the best he could.

"YOU SICK IMBECILES! YOU HAVE A G-RATED AUDIENCE HERE, YOU KNOW!" Kyo yelled, his capillaries being tested to the very limit.

"Which reminds me!" Ayame changed the subject as though nothing had happened. "You have another week before Kyoshi goes back."

A moment of silence.

"What?"

"That's right. The form 'Gure and I filled out was on temporary basis. 'Gure will have to sign another one if he wants to make this arrangement permanent. Or, of course, you could just return him and let him wait for another set of parents."

Yuki's cover having slackened on their young charge, Chibi-Kyo had heard every word of it. As though he understood what might very well be his fate in the coming seven days, his wide eyes widened even more, and he desperately sought shelter under the rat boy's legs. (For that, Yuki had to disentangle them from their crossed position.)

"There you have it: one week to decide," Ayame announced solemnly. "The decision lies upon your shoulders now.

Will you keep him?"

/-----------------------------------/

_**(1) : Varlet: servant, attendant**_

_**Quoting from F.B. 5**_

_**"'As your big brother, I ORDER you to SUBMIT to me!'**_

_**'SUBMIT THIS!' #whack#"**_

_**No one said he stopped trying, did they?**_

**_I must plead you not to quote me in regards to adoption procedures. I wasn't adopted, I never adopted anyone (not yet, anyway),and I'm basically adlibbing._**

_**Yeah, well, I'll do my utmost to get the next chapter in ASAP. Grandpa will be headed back to Puerto Rico two days from now, so it should be possible. Bear with me, everyone!**_

_**I know some of you have been wondering where the msn conversations ran off to.**_

_**Well, I've stopped talking to Howling WereWolf for a while. She went on vacation to South Perth, and I had to entertain Grandpa. So yeah, we were both busy.**_

_**Oh, and answering one of the reviews, I'm a guy. (as in the male of the specie homo sapien. NOT the one with the 'a' in it. YES, HW, I'm STRAIGHT. The opposite of what your sister was thinking. Take that, missy!)**_

_**I'm also young, single, and living alone in an apartment looking out onto the street.**_

_**My first and only one true love was a hamster named Moonie. She drowned in the toilet one night, and I'm still loyal to her memory. (And in case you're wondering, she was this light gray ball of fur that would look like Rat-Yuki with no tail.)**_

/-----------------------------------/


	9. And So

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**Well, here we are. **_**_It's the chapter that everyone's been waiting for, the hardest chapter for me to write. And as usual, taking me too long to get down into the computer. I've received your mails, your reviews, and I have heard. (even from a couple of anonymous. Wow. I've been threatened with bloody massacre and dead bunnies._**

**_Look, I honestly, and badly, owe you guys an apology. I confess, I've allowed myself to be completely distracted for way too long by so many things. Here's a warning: stay away from Final Fantasy XI if you can help it. It's addictive. VERY addictive. Now, then, because of how terrible I am at apologies, I have asked Ritsu to help me out..._**

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! I'M SORRY THAT PELZ-SAN HAS BEEN LACKING ALL THE MOTIVATION TO CONTINUE HIS STORY AND FINISH IT! I APOLOGIZE FOR HIS KEEPING YOU ALL IN SUSPENSE! I APOLOGIZE TO THE WHOLE WORLD AND EVERYONE IN-"_

**_Enguard. poke_**

**_thud_**

**_That does it. From now on, I make my own apologies to the audience. _**_**Let's get on with the story, now, while the poor guy's still down.**_

_**PJ**_

/-----------------------------------/

Morning.

Blankets rustled as the once asleep girl got up, her long hair slightly rumpled from sleep. Looking down at her lamp stand, she smiled at the photo on it. "Good morning, Mom."

Then she got up and went down to the bathroom.

The door slid open at her push, and she stepped in.

The floor was clean and bare. In a corner was a towel, washed and folded.

She stared at it for a moment, then went on with getting herself ready for the day.

/-----------------------------------/

Stretching, popping a few kinks out of his back, a tall boy with frumpy orange hair got to his feet. Shaking his head slightly, he stepped out and grabbed a towel. He could use a good shower to get his mind off things, after all that had happened.

The door was closed, and the sound of running water could be heard. Someone had, apparently, beat him to it.

Forget it. Food, then.

He went down to the kitchen, the towel now slung over his shoulder. Popping open the fridge door, he took out the carton of milk. Hardly any left. Guess he was the last one to it again before restocking with a new one.

Tilting his head back, the boy drank up the last of the milk. Then, as he always did, crushed the carton with his hand and dropped it into the waste bin that had not been cleared out yet.

With a soft 'thunk' sound, it landed next to a small, empty box with the label still readable as preparation instructions for baby food.

Glaring at it, the boy grunted, turned and went back to wait his turn for the bathroom.

/-----------------------------------/

Rising, still a little groggy and dazed, a youth with gray hair stared into oblivion for a moment, then finally started to move to his closet and changed out of his sleep clothes. Walking out into the hallway, still somewhat in a trance, he soon found the kotatsu and sat down by it.

It seemed so quiet this morning. Quite peaceful.

Someone seemed to pass him. A guy with orange hair. Ah, well, he was in no mood to bother him as yet, and the other was currently ignoring him as well, headed toward the bathroom.

Looking back outside, at the slightly open main door, he could see that all seemed right with the world. Unusually so. No quarrels, no fights, no noise except a few birds singing to each other.

Shifting into a better position, his foot brushed against something hard, and cool. Blinking, he reached under the kotatsu, feeling around. His hand came back up with a small set of beads.

A little set of purple and white beads, lined up in alternation and held together by string, too tight to fit his hand, but big enough for someone much younger.

Staring at it, the youth set it next to him on the floor, where it may pass unnoticed by the others for now.

/-----------------------------------/

After some time, the girl emerged from the bathroom, her hair back in place and done up with a hair tie, and the rest of her looking fresh and ready to take on the day. "Good morning, Kyo-kun."

The boy with orange hair grunted in reply, stepping in the moment she vacated, and drawing the door shut behind him. Soon, the sound of running water could be heard again.

The girl progressed down toward the direction of the kitchen, in order to prepare breakfast.

"Good morning, Honda-san."

She turned and smiled in response. "Good morning, Yuki-kun; you're up early, today. I'll just go get you something to eat."

A smile to return hers, the gray-haired youth moved to get up. "It's alright. I'm not that hungry right now; it's still early, anyway."

"Yes, yes it is..." the girl looked like she might laugh as she spoke. They had all woken up earlier than usual today, for some reason.

Then she saw something on the ground. "...Yuki-kun, is that...?"

The youth looked back behind him. The small bead charm lay on the floor where he had set it down, not as invisible as he had thought to make it. Picking it up, he held it out to her. "Guess he dropped it and left it behind."

The girl regarded it silently, as the youth had only moments ago. For that short period of time, neither was sure of what to say to the other.

The girl was the first to break the silence. "I'd better prepare breakfast, at least. We can eat a little earlier than usual today, I suppose..."

"Need some help?"

"Ah, no, Yuki-kun, really, it's alright! Please, just go sit down first!"

The dialogue continued on as the two went into the kitchen, one nervously protesting and the other calmly replying.

The beads sat in the middle of the table, where they had been placed.

/-----------------------------------/

The sounds of running water ceased once and for all.

Roughly towelling his damp hair dry, the boy stepped out of the bathroom and made his way toward the living room, back to the kitchen. Even if there was nothing really ready, he could at least help or make something for himself. Never mind how many were hungry so early in the morning.

As he walked passed the kotatsu, he stopped, then looked back at it.

In the center, someone had set down a string of purple and white beads, each one in similar size to the ones that adorned his own wrist, except they were held together more closely, as though they had been worn only by one of a much smaller size.

Small and unassuming as it was, it seemed somewhat out of place, clear and visible from where he was.

The boy eyed it with an unreadable expression. Then he continued on his way toward the kitchen, leaving the beads untouched.

A few moments later, a heated conversation began, accompanied by almost timid protests that went ignored.

Then a loud thwack sent it escalating a little further.

A new cabinet door would a make a fine addition to the monthly budget.

/-----------------------------------/

Then all activity ceased at the sound of approaching footsteps outside.

At the sliding of the door open, the three teens emerged from the kitchen and went down to greet whoever it was that had come in upon them.

Stepping inside was a man in a suit, removing his shoes while standing up, as he usually did when he wore a shirt and pants instead of his usual kimono.

Seeing his greeting party, he smiled and straightened up. "Well, that's settled it. Everything's been taken care of."

There was a long pause of silence.

The man looked from one to another, and seemed a little troubled. "...come now, don't give me that look... It was absolutely necessary!"

"...was it?" the gray-haired youth finally asked, breaking the silence amidst the three.

"Indeed, Yuki-kun! One hundred percent, without a doubt! Look at him! Isn't he adorable!"

At that, the one known as Sohma Shigure lifted up a small boy with messy black hair and crimson eyes. The little boy blinked, smiled happily, and lifted up a yellow rubber duck for the Sohma Yuki's inspection, squeaking it a couple of times.

Honda Tohru promptly gasped and grabbed him from Shigure, squeezing him in an excited hug. "I LOOOOOOOVE YOU!"

The boy answered gleefully by flapping his arms, still keeping a death grip on the little duck.

Yuki was still not quite appeased. "When you said you'd take him to finish up with the necessary paperwork, you did not say you'd spirit him away for two days without a word to the rest of us. We could have gone along, you know."

"Now, that was unnecessary, Yuki-kun; Aya and I handled our little munch kin here perfectly fine! Didn't we, Kyo-chan?"

Looking back up at Shigure with wide eyes, the boy held up his duck again and squeaks it some more.

Sohma Kyo groaned and turned to go. "...I'll never get any peace now..."

At those muttered words, Shigure suddenly showed a completely different facial expression. Approaching Tohru, he reached for the child. "Honda-san, may I?"

"Oh! Please, go ahead, Shigure-san," Tohru replied, passing the boy to him.

Smiling his thanks, Shigure walked right up to Kyo and held the child up straight to his face. "Say hello to your big brother Kyo, Kyo-chan!"

Flinching from the sudden move, Kyo backed up and started to retreat. "Get away from me, weirdo!"

Shigure continued to follow Kyo around the house, apparently enjoying himself. Still squeaking his duck, the kid seemed to be having fun as well.

"Cut it out, will you!"

"Come on, everybody loves our little Kyo-chan! Give him a big kiss, little guy!"

"Go away!"

Yuki and Tohru watch as Shigure chases Kyo around the house, slightly amused. Shaking his head, Yuki sighs. "Clowns...Guess things are going back to normal."

"Yes, they are."

/-----------------------------------/

_**And that concludes the chapter for now.**_

**_Even so, I'm STILL not done! There's just one more to go; just a little special for your enjoyment._**

**_So be seeing you then!_**

**_Ciao for now._**


	10. It Ends

**_In Smaller Proportions_**

/-----------------------------------/

**_Well, here's that special chapter I promised. If you haven't read the epilogue yet, this isn't it; it's the previous one. This one is a little compensation for you guys, another way of making it up to you for the long wait._**

**_Enjoy._**

/-----------------------------------/

Yuki looked down. "You're going to stick yourself to me again, aren't you?"

Chibi-Kyo stared back innocently at Yuki, his small hands still grasping the shiny yellow rubber duck Shigure had bought for him. Since day one of coming home with it, he had not seemed to part with it once.

Yuki sighed, scooped the toddler up and deposited him onto the couch. "Alright, let's just watch a movie or something."

Chibi-Kyo watched him walk to the television set and the array of discs stacked up nearby. Yuki sorted through them, finally stopping at one.

_The Quest For Chocobo?_ He flipped it over to read the overview. _Join our brave heroes - Dean, Jean and Sean - on their mission to seek out the friendly yellow birds of Chocobo Forest. Will they succeed despite their inexperience? Based on the original chronology of Final Fantasy. A short film suited for the whole family._

"We'll just watch this one then," Yuki informed his smaller companion, holding the CD cover for his inspection.

Then he opened it, slot the disc into the player, and the video started on auto.

/-----------------------------------/

**"Well, men? Are we ready to go a-hunting for the elusive Chocobo?" said Dean, standing tall in all his might and glory.**

**"But Dean," said Jean. "We don't even know what a Chocobo looks like."**

**"Fear not, Jean," said Sean. "We'll know it when we see it."**

**"That's right!" said Dean. "Move out, men!"**

**Suddenly, the leaves nearby rustled. Out popped a yellow bird the size of a small hen. It looked up at them curiously.**

**"Wark?" asked the bird.**

**"A-A-A-AH!" screamed Dean.**

**"A-A-A-AH!" screamed Jean.**

**"A-A-A-AH!" screamed Sean.**

**"Wark?" asked the bird again.**

**"You shall terrorize us no longer!" said Dean, drawing his pistol. "DIE, YOU FIEND!"**

**"WARK!"**

**#BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!#**

**"BWAHAHA! You are no more, you insolent...um...thing!" said Dean smugly, throwing up his finger and pointing into the forest. "Go back to where you came from, you flat feathered fool!"**

**The small, pathetic mound of yellow and red refused to answer, or even move.**

**"You dare to defy me? Then DIE AGAIN, YOU FIENDISH...uh...FIEND! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"**

**#BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!#**

/-----------------------------------/

#click#

Chbi-Kyo's wide crimson eyes stared at the now blank screen, wondering what would happen next.

"You know what? I think a nice good book on peacefulgardening would be appropriate right now. I'll be right back."

Yuki got up and quickly disappeared into his room. _Suited for the whole family! What was that critic thinking!_

/-----------------------------------/

Kyo was finishing the last of the carton of milk when a certain small someone came into the kitchen and looked up at him.

Kyo looked back down at the individual. "...What?"

Chibi-Kyo turned his duck upside-down, and used its tail end to point at Kyo.

"Bang," he said gravely. "Bang-Bang."

/-----------------------------------/

**_THE END_**

/-----------------------------------/

_**AUTHOR FOOTNOTES**_

_**Pelz-Junge grins. "Welcome back, Kyoshi. Did you have fun?"**_

_**"Bang-Bang!" chibi-Kyo cries out happily. "Bang-Bang! Bang-Bang! Bang-Bang!"**_

_**"Plenty, eh? Good for you, little buddy."**_

_**Pelz-Junge pets chibi-Kyo on the head, and turns to face the web-cam mounted on his table.**_

_**"Well, folks, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed it. BUT!" Pelz-Junge winks during his pause. "I plan to continue with a sequel! So here's hoping that you guys out there will support it, just like you supported 'In Smaller Proportions'."**_

_**Suddenly, Pelz-Junge pauses to answer a conversation on his msn messenger.**_

_**HW: Did you do the movie that Yuki and chibi-Kyo saw?**_

_**PJ: Yeah, actually.**_

_**HW: Man, that's just plain odd. And what do you mean 'suited for the whole family'! And you actually murdered that poor chocobo, you nut job! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!**_

_**Pelz-Junge leans back, away from the keyboard. "Touché."**_

_**As though in agreement, chibi-Kyo pokes Pelz-Junge's cap with his rubber duck's tail end. "Bang-Bang!"**_

/-----------------------------------/


End file.
